WEBVTT DATE OF MARCH 21 TO OPEN THEDOORS.THE NEW HILTON CONVENTION CENTERHOTEL IS JUST ABOUT TO OPENSIT'S DOORS.WORKERS ARE PUTTING THEFINISHING TOUCHES ON THEEIGHT-STORY BUILDING AND IT'S330 ROOMS, BUT THIS IS MORE THANA HOTEL.GENERAL MANGER MATT FELLING GAVEUS A TOUR STARTING IN THEMASSIVE TWO STORY LOBBY.HE SAYS THE HILTON FILLS IN A-- FILLS A VITAL PIECE OF THEPUZZLE THAT'S BEEN MISSING SINCEHY-VEE HALL AND WELLS FARGOARENA WERE BUILT.WITH OUT A HOTEL, MANY BIGCONVENTION BOOKERS IGNORED DESMOINES, BUT NOT ANYMORE.>> SO THEY WOULDN'T EVEN LOOK ATUS.NOW WE HAVE MEETING PLANNERSCOMING HERE AND GOING TO MEETWITH US AND TALK TO US ABOUTBRINGING THEIR CONVENTIONS TOTOWN.THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. >> THE HOTEL WILL HAVE A HIGHTECH THEME PAYING HOMAGE TO NEWIOWA COMPANIES GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, AND FACEBOOK.THE EXTERIOR WINDOWCONFIGURATION MIMICS A BAR CODE.THE MEETING ROOMS HAVE NAMESLIKE CLOUD AND MATRIX, AND ONEOF THE LARGEST BALL ROOMS IN THECITY HAS CARPETING THAT LOOKS ALOT LIKE A CIRCUIT BOARD.AND NOT ONLY DOES THE HOTELCONNECT TO THE CONVENTION SPACE,IT CONNECTS TO THE SKYWALK>> SO AS YOU'RE COMING DOWN THESKYWALK FROM ANY OTHER VENDOWNTOWN, YOU WILL ACTUALLY HAVETO STOP AND TAKE A 90 DEGREETURN AND LOOK RIGHT OVER THELOBBY OF THIS HOTEL.>> HILTON IS SHOWING OFF ASTANDARD KING HOTEL ROOM IN THISMOCKUP.ONE BIT OF TRIVIA, THE BATHROOMSARE BUILT IN OFF SITE IN ONCEPIECE AND INSTALLED AS ONE BIGMODULE, ALL DESIGNED TO MAKE AGOOD IMPRESSION OF IOWA'SCAPITOL CITY.>> A FIRST CLASS HOTEL THAT ISGOING TO OFFER GREAT SERVICE TO

Crews are putting the finishing touches on the eight-story, 330-room, $100 million Hilton Convention Center Hotel under construction in downtown Des Moines. It’s located near Park Street and Fifth Avenue and is designed to revolutionize the city’s convention business. Developers broke ground for the new hotel more than two years ago, and now they’ve set a date of March 21 to open the doors. But it’s more than a hotel. General manager Matt Felling gave KCCI a tour that started in the massive two-story lobby. He said the Hilton fills in a vital piece of the puzzle that’s been missing since Hy-Vee Hall and Wells Fargo Arena were built. Without a hotel, many big convention bookers ignored Des Moines, but not anymore. “They wouldn’t even look at us,” Felling said. “Now we have meeting planners coming here and going to meet with us and talk to us about bringing their conventions to town, and that’s what it’s all about.” The hotel will have a high-tech theme paying homage to companies that have found a home in Iowa, including Google, Microsoft and Facebook. The exterior window configuration mimics a bar code. The meeting rooms have names like “Cloud” and “Matrix,” and one of the largest ballrooms in the city has carpeting that resembles a circuit board. The hotel also connects to the skywalk. “As you’re coming down the skywalk from any other venue downtown, you will actually have to stop and take a 90-degree turn and look over the lobby of this hotel,” said project manager Ben Bunge, with Weitz Construction. Hilton is showing off a standard king hotel room in this mockup. The bathrooms were built offsite in one piece and installed as one big module, all designed to make a good impression of Iowa’s capital city. “A first-class hotel that is going to offer great service to everybody coming and where they walk away and saying, we like being in Des Moines,” Felling said. The Hilton is now looking for 150 people to work at the hotel when it opens in March. They are holding a job fair Jan. 14-15.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

Crews are putting the finishing touches on the eight-story, 330-room, $100 million Hilton Convention Center Hotel under construction in downtown Des Moines.

It’s located near Park Street and Fifth Avenue and is designed to revolutionize the city’s convention business.

Developers broke ground for the new hotel more than two years ago, and now they’ve set a date of March 21 to open the doors.

But it’s more than a hotel.

General manager Matt Felling gave KCCI a tour that started in the massive two-story lobby. He said the Hilton fills in a vital piece of the puzzle that’s been missing since Hy-Vee Hall and Wells Fargo Arena were built. Without a hotel, many big convention bookers ignored Des Moines, but not anymore.

“They wouldn’t even look at us,” Felling said. “Now we have meeting planners coming here and going to meet with us and talk to us about bringing their conventions to town, and that’s what it’s all about.”

The hotel will have a high-tech theme paying homage to companies that have found a home in Iowa, including Google, Microsoft and Facebook.

The exterior window configuration mimics a bar code. The meeting rooms have names like “Cloud” and “Matrix,” and one of the largest ballrooms in the city has carpeting that resembles a circuit board. The hotel also connects to the skywalk.

“As you’re coming down the skywalk from any other venue downtown, you will actually have to stop and take a 90-degree turn and look over the lobby of this hotel,” said project manager Ben Bunge, with Weitz Construction.

Hilton is showing off a standard king hotel room in this mockup. The bathrooms were built offsite in one piece and installed as one big module, all designed to make a good impression of Iowa’s capital city.

“A first-class hotel that is going to offer great service to everybody coming and where they walk away and saying, we like being in Des Moines,” Felling said.

The Hilton is now looking for 150 people to work at the hotel when it opens in March. They are holding a job fair Jan. 14-15.